The present disclosure is generally directed to tools for removing material from a surface involved in, for example, applications that require high-quality weld joints. High-quality weld joints may be achieved by autogenous welding, which is fusion welding without the use of filler metal. Autogenous welding is employed to join tubing used in, for example, many high-purity and sanitary tubing systems. Because these systems require high-quality weld joints, an emphasis is typically placed on obtaining a smooth, contaminant-free inner tube surface to avoid weld contamination.
In some applications, it may be necessary to form high-purity weld joints when joining zirconium tubing sections. A hard oxide layer forms on the inner and outer walls of air-annealed zirconium tubing. This oxide layer may approach 1200 kg/mm2 hardness compared to the zirconium tubing hardness of about 190 kg/mm2. In order to achieve a high-purity weld, prior to welding, at least a portion of this oxide layer should be removed from each end of the zirconium tubing to be joined together. By removing a portion of the oxide, weld bead contamination from dissolved oxygen can be reduced or prevented.